When a vehicle, during braking without anti-lock control, starts skidding laterally with the wheels locked, the direction of movement of the gravity center which was present before the beginning of the skidding generally does not change since locked wheels cannot transfer lateral forces. A vehicle without ABS reacts in the same way when it starts skidding without braking because it has exceeded the dynamic limits of driving and the driver then applies the brakes during the skidding such that the wheels lock.
ABS prevents lateral skidding during braking as long as the dynamic limits of driving (e.g. excessive curve speed) are not surpassed. If the brakes are applied during skidding or if skidding occurs during a controlled braking, the wheels are able to further transmit lateral guidance because of the anti-lock control system. Unless the yaw angle speed or the angle of fishtailing of the vehicle are too great, the driver is able to keep the desired course depending on the handling properties of the vehicle. If the speed of the yaw angle or fishtailing angle exceed certain limits, even the well-trained driver is no longer able to control the skidding.
Because of the kinematics of skidding, the effective circumferential force of the wheels is also reduced with an increasing fishtailing. The ABS control, hence, assumes an apparent instability caused by a pressure surplus. The resulting pressure reduction causes the lateral guidance of the front axle to increase which, depending on the selected steering angle, results in an uncontrollable change of the driving direction. This further increases the skidding.